Beautiful day for flying today, sunny 70 degrees with almost no noticable wind whatsoever. I wanted to test the results of a new filter I received in yesterday's mail and brought the AC & RC out to a location in the middle of my property. This was my 26th flight with the P3P, and the first drone I've ever flown. I lifted-off and gained 20 or-so foot in altitude, hovering long enough to engage the 'record' button on my GO app. Everything was working well as I filmed my home & property from different angles, so I decided to fly from 100 yards out to my house. I lowered the altitude to 8-9 feet and began the flight-path, traveling at 15-20 miles an hour so. When I came within 15 feet or-so of the house I brought the stick back to center. At least that was what it looked to be from the angle where I was standing which was where I began flying toward the house.

I was very surprised to realize how close the AC was to the house by the time it's forward momentum settled down, it seemed to hover for a split-second before I realized that it was within inches from the wall and I knew my last chance to recover had pasted. It seemed as though it simply drifted slightly, before I heard the propellers make contact and drop out of sight behind a 5-foot masonry wall that surrounds our pool & inner-yard. The sound of the impact when it struck the ground was loud even from the distance where I was from the house and for several seconds I could tell that the propellers were still spinning as they made contact with the stones.

I quickly ran to find out how badly the AC was damaged, only to find it laying upside-down on the props. I immediately remembered the video posted here where the fella teaching said "there are two kinds of people who fly Phantoms, those who have crashed and those who will", which gave me no consolation whatsoever. As I picked up the AC I immediately noticed that a 3/4" length of one blade of a prop was missing, and the center cap's of all 4 prop's were worn down a 1/4". Upon further inspection, while checking the condition of the gimble & camera I couldn't help but notice the camera being unable to keep level regardless of the orientation I was turning it in. I quickly turned the battery off and carried it inside to inspect the AC thoroughly feeling convinced that I destroyed the combination birthday/Christmas gift that my wife surprised me with. I noticed a light mark on the upper body, but wasn't able to find anything more serious, and I began to remove each of the propellers. The prop that was broken was torqued on from continuing to spin after imact so I needed to use a pair of channel locks on the sides of the motor to remove it. I then replaced the props with a new set and anxiously took everything back to the spot where  I had lifted-off ten minutes earlier. I powered up the RC, logged into the GO app & connected my tablet to it before powering up the AC again. Initiation seemed normal and the camera moved through it's motions as it always had in the past. I opened up the 'camera-view' and waited several minutes while checking the status, before receiving confirmation that the new Home Point had been recorded. I flew the AC several hundred yards away, and approx. two hundred feet high effortlessly. It moved as reponsively as it ever had previously, as though nothing had happened to it just minutes earlier. I had ordered a second battery from DJI just days ago, and my wife knew by the look on my face when I returned to the house that I would still get the chance to use it in extending my future flight time with it after-all.

I wanted to share my experience with other new Phantom pilots, and hope that it serves as a reminder that "$#%t happens". And that although our confidence level may be high with regard to a particular manuever, unforseen forces are often at play which can lead to a catastrophic failure. I still can't believe how lucky things turned out for me today, and hope nothing similar occurs again to my Phantom. My biggest lessons were; 1 Avoid flying within 10 foot of a structure 2. never assume to estimate distance from an object while directly behind the direction of travel 3. Maintain respect for the limitations of these amazing flying machines, when combined with the limitations of its pilot.

By the way, the camera functions flawlessly as well.

dustyrose

Nicely written sorry to hear but also happy it seemed to work out ok. One suggestion from little old me is get some of those prop guards I have recently posted about, they may not have saved the day but  just might have saved something when hitting that wall !!.

Bay Cruiser Posted at 2017-1-8 23:45
Nicely written sorry to hear but also happy it seemed to work out ok. One suggestion from little old me is get some of those prop guards I have recently posted about, they may not have saved the day but  just might have saved something when hitting that wall !!.

Sorry you crashed but happy it worked out for you! I have been flying mine for about a month.  Probably taken it out on about the same # of missions as you by now.  I have recently ordered prop guards for the drone.  I agree with you and it reminds me about when I used to ride motorcycles.  Riders have an old adage that EVERYONE lays their bike down at some point...I rode for 8 years...not a scratch...and then some lose gravel changed all that (luckily not seriously hurt).  In any case, I think anyone that flies a drone will eventually have a crash.  Prop Guards aren't a guarantee that you won't damage the bird, but it at least gives you one more line of defense!  The kind I ordered cost 18$ and pop on / off so that you can still fit your P3S in a case.  In any event - 18$ is the cheapest insurance you will ever find for these things!

These are the ones I ordered and have fitted, no screws no fittings just slip on slip off for standard 3

http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... mp;page=1#pid637249

Glad to hear it survived, fly it like you're sitting in it.......

dbensonp Posted at 2017-1-9 07:37
Glad to hear it survived, fly it like you're sitting in it.......

Surprising how tough these Phantoms are, I;m a fairly new flyer too, about 4 months now. I find that the only times ive been close to a problem is when I flew low & near houses, structures. On start up now I always get some altitude right away, at least to 10-20 meters. Look at my satillite count, home point recorded, Battery readings. I;m using Litchi for most flights now, especially way point missions as I love the fact you can plan your missions at home having a coffee before flying them.
Prop guards are useful I guess if you tend to fly low & near structures, but, I;m flying allot in ATT mode & guards are affect handling,  I find my bird doesn't fly at best with em, so don't use them anymore.
Flying in ATT mode is thrilling, great expeirence to have especially if, well ,more like when,  you get that notice- "Interference detected, switching to ATT mode", you better know how to fly manually, before you get these notices!
Happy Flying

It is refreshing to read a story of a crash that had a positive outcome.  Thank you for sharing and I agree that sometimes our confidence level after many, many successful flights can be our own enemy.

fans987d278a Posted at 2017-1-9 08:31
Surprising how tough these Phantoms are, I;m a fairly new flyer too, about 4 months now. I find that the only times ive been close to a problem is when I flew low & near houses, structures. On start up now I always get some altitude right away, at least to 10-20 meters. Look at my satillite count, home point recorded, Battery readings. I;m using Litchi for most flights now, especially way point missions as I love the fact you can plan your missions at home having a coffee before flying them.
Prop guards are useful I guess if you tend to fly low & near structures, but, I;m flying allot in ATT mode & guards are affect handling,  I find my bird doesn't fly at best with em, so don't use them anymore.
Flying in ATT mode is thrilling, great expeirence to have especially if, well ,more like when,  you get that notice- "Interference detected, switching to ATT mode", you better know how to fly manually, before you get these notices!

"Surprising how tough these Phantoms are"

Careful.  It really is surprising how tough they can be at times, but believe me, it is also very surprising how fragile they can be.  I broke the gimbal mounting plate and tore up one of the electrical plugs with a fall from less than three feet onto grass.  It really depends on how you land, and to a certain extent, how fast you get to it to shut it down.  In my case, I was only a few feet away so there was minimal delay in getting to it.  The battery had popped out completely, so there was no screaming motor complaint from it that happens when a prop digs into the ground as it lays on its side.  It did some damage, and I replaced all broken/damaged parts, but it sure hurts the pride to crash your new drone.

Glad it survived. Next time it may well be much different. Please be more careful in the future.
You shouldn't be flying next to buildings anyway. So it's not surprising that you crashed. That's what's supposed to happen.
If you fly your drone near obstacles like houses, trees, walls inside the home... Expect trouble to soon follow.

I will only fly my Phantom out in the clear wide open area, at a park, sports field, designated RC heli zone.


RedHotPoker

Channel locks on the motors? Oh no! That is a terrible idea.

Rather than just letting the stick center itself, you could have pulled it back to initiate more braking action.  The Phantom will drift a bit under the conditions you described.

For anyone thinking prop guards are the answer ..... flying in the open away from trees and buildings is a much better one.

HWCM Posted at 2017-1-9 23:42
Channel locks on the motors? Oh no! That is a terrible idea.

Using channel locks were a last resort and were used gently, what would you recommend using when the blades are torqued beyond hand tight? Thanks in advance...

desertrose

Desertrose Posted at 2017-1-12 20:14
Using channel locks were a last resort and were used gently, what would you recommend using when the blades are torqued beyond hand tight? Thanks in advance...

desertrose

You could use a small strap wrench but best is the little tool that came with your Phantom.
I have a small strap wrench meant for small diameter tubing that just happens to fit and just like the
dji prop tool it applies pressure evenly without damage.

I've learned quite a bit regarding the P3P and its handling over the last month or-so. Studying flight characteristics doesn't compare with actual flight-time experience though, as there are too many variables to consider for every circumstance. Crashing was my most valuable experience yet and considering the materials used in the P3P's construction, I know very-well how fortunate my outcome was and will do my best to avoid repeating the same mistake again in the future.

I had a previous misfortune while flying last week which was every bit as frightening as my crash. I often fly locally as my home is in a rural location so usually within a mile of my home. I lifted-off from a small mountaintop (250 ft) and after reaching an approximate altitude of 380 ft, I flew the AC a quarter mile or-so in distance away. I quickly looked down to view the image being recorded, and immediately returned my glance to where I left it hovering. Needless to say I was more than a little rattled when I realized that it was no-longer in sight, not because it had moved as there was little wind but because the light cloud cover in the sky prevented enough contrast in color to allow me to recognize it. I was in a total panic at this point and tried my best to figure out where it was using the camera's FPV and my hearing, as well as continued visual searching.

I attempted to engage the RTH through use of the button on the RC although it never transmitted to the bird, I expect that this was due to the unknown location of both the AC and the optimal transmission zone. I continued struggling to locate the AC frantically for another 3-1/2 minutes, when I finally heard the faint sound of the prop's in the distance. I again engaged the RTH button, and it successfully flew the AC to within 40-50 yards away and well within sight so I pressed the RTH button again to regain control. Once again I was fortunate enough to have maintained possession of the P3P to fly another day, although I still feel very little responsibility for the successful outcome.

Here's the video filmed during the flight, for those interested in viewing it.  
  desertrose

After it lost transmission signal, it would have came back anyway. You were safe.Just do not keep hitting that RTH button. Once it says it in RTH, let it fly back to you. You might accidently cancel a good RTH and leave it hovering until the battery gets low enough to auto land. Then you will have to go find it.